1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a backlight assembly and a liquid crystal display having the same, and more particularly, to a backlight assembly including a lamp unit from which a wire is removed and using a lamp socket, and a liquid crystal display having the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
The application range of a liquid crystal display (“LCD”) has been extended because of its good lightweight, thin, low-power drive, full color and high resolution characteristics. Such an LCD has been recently used in a computer, a notebook computer, personal digital assistant (“PDA”), a telephone, TV, an audio/video device, and the like. The LCD is used to adjust an amount of light transmitted in accordance with image signals applied to a number of control switches arrayed in a matrix form and then to display desired images on an LCD panel. Since such an LCD is not self-luminescent, a light source such as a backlight is required. A lamp has been widely used as such a light source. In such a case, a method of connecting a wire to an inverter through a soldering process has been used to supply the lamp with electric power.
FIG. 1 is a view showing the schematic configuration of a lamp unit according to the prior art. Referring to FIG. 1, the lamp unit includes a lamp 1, a lamp reflector 2 for reflecting light emitted from the lamp, an inverter (not shown) for supplying the lamp with electric power, a lamp wire 4 composed of first and second lamp wires 4a and 4b for transferring electric power from the inverter to the lamp, a lamp connector 5 for connecting the lamp wire to the inverter and a lamp holder 3.
As described above, the related art lamp unit is configured in such a manner that the lamp is connected to the inverter by connecting the lamp connector 5 fixed to one end of the lamp wire 4 to an input connector (not shown) of the inverter.
However, since a variety of the input connectors of the inverters may be provided to meet the customer requirements, a variety of the lamp connectors should also be manufactured in correspondence with the various shapes and configurations of the input connectors of the inverters. Thus, even though the specifications of the liquid crystal display panel, the driving circuit and the backlight assembly are identical to one another, the LCD may be inevitably developed and produced as a different model due to difference in the structure of the lamp connector. Therefore, there are problems in that the development expense is increased, the production efficiency is lowered, and the production control is difficult.
Accordingly, there is a need to develop a universal connection structure for coupling a lamp and an inverter, which can be utilized in a variety of backlight assemblies regardless of the change of the lamp connector in a case where major parts of the backlight assembly are commonly used in multiple specifications.